


The Theorist, the Pilot, the Middle of Nowhere

by Insomniac_with_dreams



Series: The Google Docs Dump Fanfics [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Conspiracy Theorist Keith (Voltron), Cute, Fluffy, Hotel, Keith NEEDS sleep, Light Angst, M/M, Modern AU, New Mexico, Not really though, Pilot Lance, aliens???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 05:34:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22311823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Insomniac_with_dreams/pseuds/Insomniac_with_dreams
Relationships: Keith/Lance (Voltron)
Series: The Google Docs Dump Fanfics [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1609384
Comments: 4
Kudos: 40





	The Theorist, the Pilot, the Middle of Nowhere

" No ma'am, for the third time, we do not have an alien in the basement, we do not even have a basement."

The woman stared at him as if trying to flush a lie out of his eyes.

"This is New Mexico though." Keith felt like banging his head on the desk. He was well aware that it was New Mexico, the wet spots under his armpits a constant reminder.

" I'm sorry ma'am but we have no aliens, we do however have tea." He pointed around the woman's sunburned shoulder to indicate the sweating cooler of iced tea.

The tea appeasing the woman for now, she disappeared back to her room, Keith frowning at the back of her head the whole way. Then he slumped back onto the stool behind the reception desk and watched the traffic go by.

He was stuck. In a little no name town about forty miles south of Alamogordo. His goal had been Roswell, a stupid and unrealistic dream for a college drop out. If his brother were here he'd give him the _look_ , run a hand down his face and say, _I told you so Keith, I told you so._ He had, and as much as it pained him to admit, he was right.

Keith had dropped out looking for a job that would lead him to extraterrestrial life. He had packed his bags and with no set plans in mind, hit the road for New Mexico. He had decided to Jane Foster, it in a sense of speaking, set up his own little research base and wait for Thor. He broke down halfway there and gotten stuck. He had gotten the job at the shabby motel, nauseatingly named _Desert Slumber_ , after running out of money staying at said hotel.

It was interesting to work there to say the most. With all kinds of people seeking refuge from the unforgiving New Mexican climate. Keith enjoyed watching haggard travelers stumble through the door. It was fun to try and figure them out. 

There were the business men who probably underestimated the time it would take to get home. Finally giving into the sleep dragging at their eyelids, and pulling into the first establishment that offered a bed. Then there was the rugged type who came in looking high off the endorphins that were firing in their brains, asking if dogs were allowed giving Keith enthusiastic fist bumps when he said they were.

Of course there families. They'd come busting in clinging to bags, skin burned red from a day over spent at White Sands. The smallest would be half on the floor the mother trying to pull them up while glaring the oldest down. The father would struggle to the counter and beg Keith for a room. There was always a room.

Sometimes there would even be the occasional couple stumbling in looking both overwhelmed and underwhelmed by the stretches of sagebrush and noting else between cities.

These were all assumptions though. Keith didn't know if that family spent the day at White Sands, or if that couple was having mixed feelings about this land. He didn't know. Which was one thing Keith loved about sitting in the sweltering heat, bottom stuck to the plastic stool. He loved the mystery.

Keith was normally the only one at work staying up late until his coworker Annika came to release him from the obnoxious green glow of the flickering vacancy sign. She normally showed up around two in the morning baby in her arms and a flustered apology on her lips. Keith normally ended up sitting on the sunken couch in the lobby rocking the squirming baby to slumber, wincing at the pungent smell of cigarette smoke wafting off the worn blanket wrapped lightly around the infant.

Life had not been kind to Annika, or anyone unfortunate enough to live in this dead part of the world.

Business normally picked up in the summer as people come to see the Land of Enchantment. Keith sleeps for a few hours before getting up at dawn and sending Annika home. He makes sure the alien welcome sign is still on glaring at it as he does. He sighs at the half glowing letters atop the room that spell out _Desert Slum,_ and then takes his place behind the desk waiting for the woman to make her appearance requesting to see the alien in the basement. He would then have to explain once again the, no there was no alien and if there was this place would be booming. He would once again offer her tea, she would take it, and he would go on with his existence.

The day is slow. The woman appears not once but twice and Keith is starting to wonder if he should call the cops. Not that it'd do him any good. A woman dressed not for the burning heat pulled up around noon. She came in panting and Keith looked out the window at her light pink roofless car seeming to steam in the sun. Keith reached under the counter to what he called his stash and pulled out a bottle of aloe and a bottle of water. She took them both gratefully when he offered them to her.

" Is there a gas station around here?" She asked after lathering up her badly burned nose and downing half the bottle of water. Keith shook his head.

" No ma'am. This and the convenience store are about it." She looked across the counter at him helplessly. He knew how she felt. Keith rubbed his fingers together as she started to pace. She took her phone out of her pocket glared at it and shoved it right back in. Keith sighed looking around for something to help. He wanted to go home and sleep, even if home was an old smelly camp trailer and he normally spent the nights in one of the hotel rooms eating what ever and watching reality t.v. Keith blinked, the R.V. park where said smelly trailer was might be able to help her.

" Um ma'am, theres an R.V. park behind here. They might have some gas." Keith points in the direction she followed his finger before thanking him and dashing from the lobby. Keith watches resigned as the pink car hits the highway an hour later. He seemed to have the luck of a fly landing in a spiders wed. He landed and got stuck.

He checked in a woman with a yappy dog that looks like it wants to eat his face at six. Then a man that looked so out of it he had to lead him to his room. Then it's quiet. The electric buzz of the vacancy sign is the only noise filling the lobby. Keith had long since stopped trying to get the little radio under the desk to work. He glanced around the lobby bored and lonely. He picks up the remote and flicks on the t.v. leaving it on mute and losing interest minuets later. He he didn't have to man the desk he would be out staring at the endless stars, untainted by the lights of cities, on display in there full unearthly beauty.

He finally began to doze around ten as the highway stayed silent and the heat began to slip from the room. He was running on less then five hours of sleep and the caffeine he had feed into his body was on its final lap. His head was lolling to the side after a long battle of slip and jerk when lights illuminated the window drowning out the green light of the vacancy sign. His head snapped up and he squinted out into the night as the lights dimmed. He sighed and stretched waiting for whoever it was to come in.

Now Keith had seen a lot of people come through those dust stained doors, but never in his twenty one years had he ever seen someone like the stranger that came through those doors. He knew that probably sounded cheesy but he couldn't help it. He's tall, very tall. Wearing black slacks and dress shoes, a white dress shirt hugged his chest. To top it all off he had on a very out of place aviator jacket decked out in NASA patches, over everything. His skin glowed caramel brown, his hair an even darker brown falling from it's styled state. And his eyes, aliens of Neptune. He had never seen eyes like that before. Bluer then the New Mexican skies, and deeper then the Blue Hole lakes in Santa Rosa.

Keith swallowed hard and thick as the stranger walks towards the desk. He's suddenly hyper aware to the fact that he smells liked cheap hotel shampoo and a days worth of work sweat. His hair suddenly feels greasy enough that if you were you ring it out, you could probably fry french fries with what came off. But the stranger was still coming and Keith had to do his job. He leans against the desk and smiles. His teeth are perfect, like toothpaste commercial perfect. If it weren't for the fact that he was standing in the middle of a barely functional hotel, Keith would think he was a celebrity.

"Hi." Oh gosh his voice. " I saw you had vacancy lit up, I'm looking for a room." Keith nods and reaches behind himself to grab a random key. He slide it across the desktop to him.

" Okay your room is 104. Breakfast isn't big but we offer one, tea is complementary served all day, and before you ask, no, we do not have a basement with an alien in it." The stranger stared at him before he burst out laughing . Head back shoulders shaking, and oh, Keith had never heard something so lively or beautiful before. The stranger wiped his eyes as he steadied himself.

" I'm sorry, that should not have been so funny. You just said it so deadpanned." He smirked at Keith who felt his knees go weak, " Not that I'd believe you if you said there was anyways. I don't think aliens exist."

Oh no. So this literal angel did have flaws. Keith crossed his arms over his chest and glared.

" Why don't you think they exist." The guy raised a perfect eyebrow at him.

" Because I've been studying space for years and I'm pretty sure there is nothing out there. We literally live on the only inhabitable planet." Keith huffed.

" For humans. Other planets could be sustainable for life other than human." The guy lifted a hand and swayed it back and forth.

" I guess but we would've found that out by now. And we haven't so." Keith smirked.

" Yeah well maybe that's just what the government wants you to think." The guy studied him. Another piece of his hair escaped the rest of his slicked back hair and Keith suddenly had the urge to mess up the rest of it.

" I don't think the government would do something like that." Keith made a scoffing noise.

" Explain Roswell then." The guy opened his mouth, then closed it. Keith smiled triumphantly. The guy shook his head and smiled at Keith.

" I still don't think that aliens exist. I've been working with NASA for a while now, and while it is definitely something we think about, we are mainly focusing on the Gateway project."

Keith gaped at him. The jacket made sense now however. Keith jumped up from the stool and leaned forward.

" You work for NASA? That's awesome! What do you do?" The guy gave him a startled look.

" Um, well right now I'm interning while I finish up college, but I hope to become a pilot." Keith sighed as he reigned himself in a little bit as he sat back in his stool. He felt a flash of jealousy towards this stranger who was no older then himself,who is doing something amazing with his life. He suddenly felt very tired.

" That's pretty cool. I'll let you go up to your room now." The guy bit his lip and nodded. He walked out of the lobby out to his car before coming back in with a backpack over his shoulder and a duffel bag in his hand. He got to the stairs before doubling back to the reception desk.

" I never got your name." Keith was a bit startled by the question and self consciously tugged at the hem of his shirt.

" Um, Keith . My names Keith." The guy smiled.

" Cool. I'm Lance." And with that he disappeared up the stairs. Keith staring after him longingly. Not just because he was gorgeous, but their short conversation made Keith feel more human then he had in a long long time. He didn't want that feeling to be swallowed up by the hollowly silent nights. Keith looked out the windows , the highway was dark and again the only sound was the vacancy sign. Keith shivered despite the warmth in the lobby, it was eerie. Knowing that there were other humans in the motel but never hearing them.

He shook his head glancing at the clock it was a eleven thirty. He groaned, time was crawling a long so slowly. He reached under the counter and grabbed his book on aliens. He sometimes felt bad about the book, He had more or less stolen it from the library. He had checked it out and never returned it, eventually he paid the far over due bill and kept it. It was a great reference book and talked about aliens from ancient times to modern times. Keith pulled out his notebook as well and started to scribble down notes.

The thing was while Keith believed in aliens he didn't think they looked the way pop culture saw them. He didn't think that they were green or had solid black eyes. He felt that they would look a lot like humans, maybe with bigger heads as their intelligence was more advanced then ours. Keith just didn't think that the entire infinite universe had been created for one tiny planet. It didn't make sense, and Keith was determined to prove that humans are not alone. 

He drew out Cassiopeia. The constellation that looked like a path, a road leading somewhere. Visible to Earth year round, containing fourteen stars with planets. To Keith it was the perfect place for aliens to be. He didn't think that they were trying to hide from Earth, they were just waiting for humans to pull their heads out of their rear ends and actually see what was going on. 

" Ahem." Keith startled and looked up. Lance was standing in front of the desk wearing a robe and slippers. His hair was lose and fluffy and Keith felt his throat go dry from that alone, again. 

" Uh, can I help you?" Lance smirked at him,

" Yeah I checked in like thirty minutes ago. I'm Lance remember?" Keith rolled his eyes and put his book down.

" Yes I remember, I just don't understand why you're down here again." Lance tucked his hands into his robe pockets and rocked back on his heels.

" Well I needed shampoo." Keith raised an eyebrow. He shouldn't need any and it looked like he had already showered, but Keith said nothing as he slipped into the little supply room to grab two bottles of shampoo and an extra towel. He ducked back out and handed them to Lance who looked almost disappointed as he accepted them. He fidgeted with the towel and Keith watched him expectantly.

" Do you need anything else?" He asked the question a lot softer then he meant to. Lance looked at him biting his lip, he lifted an arm and rubbed the back of his neck, dropping everything. His face went red and he ducked down to the floor to grab everything.

" S-sorry I-I uh, this must be so horrible." He stood up and sighed. Keith pressed a hand to his mouth to contain the laughter threatening to spill out. What had happened to the composed man who had come through the door an hour ago. 

Lance looked mortified and turned around muttering something. He ran a hand up through his hair and spun around to face Keith again.

" Your eyes are like nothing I've ever seen before, and the conversation we had was so refreshing, and I'm so sorry if this is making you uncomfortable. I just couldn't go to sleep without you knowing and talking to you again." Keith gaped at him as he paused to take a breath. Lance winced and grabbed the pile of toiletries from the desk. " Sorry." 

He turned away, and Keith absolutely could not let that happen.

" I-I thought the same things about your eyes." His voice shook as he said it. Lance stopped and turned back to look at him a small smile on his face and a light blush covering his cheeks. Keith could feel his own face burning all the way up to his ears. Lance sauntered back over looking way over confident. He leaned his elbows on the counter and wiggled his eyebrows.

" You think my eyes are pretty huh?" Keith glared at him. The blush spread to his neck. He nodded none the less, he wasn't going to loose this guy now that he had him. Why he had taken an interest in Keith he would never know, but he wasn't complaining.

" Tell me about your aliens?" Lance said it sweetly, " we can go sit on the couch." Lance jutted his chin in the direction of the lobby couch. Keith rubbed his fingers together. He would love to, he looked out the window again at the silent highway.

"Okay. Wait here I'm gonna go and put on something more comfortable." More comfortable translated to, something less smelly. But Lance didn't have to know that. He gave Lance a small smile before slipping into the little room and grabbing sweats and a soft t shirt. He normally ended up changing around midnight anyways. The clothes he wore all day becoming unbearable to wear.

When Keith stepped back out Lance was still leaning against the desk eyeing his book. Keith picked it up and then made his way to the couch sinking down onto it, one leg tucked under him. Lance joined him leaning back against it. Keith licked his lips feeling a little awkward, but Lance just gave him an easy smile and motioned at the book.

" Tell me about your aliens." Keith opened the book smiling at the notes in the margins. He read over a note silently and began to talk. He explained what he thought aliens would look like, he talked about his Cassiopeia theory and how he connected Saturn's song to aliens. He talked about his theories on Roswell and how he hoped beyond hope that it actually was aliens.

Lance stopped him as he said that.

" Why do you hope that." They had moved closer to each other and slouched further into the couch, making so that Keith had to look up at Lance.

" Well for one it would mean I haven't wasted my life, and two, don't you see the horror in the fact that if they weren't aliens, they were probably children being used as test dummies." 

Lance stared off into the distance and grimaced a little.

" I guess that's true. I'd never thought of that before." Keith smirked.

" So you admit to thinking about aliens." Lance made a face but didn't deny it. Keith nudged him.

" Tell me about your work."

Lance smiled and launched into the story staring at the beginning where he learned about the Space Race in school and knowing that's what he wanted to do. He told him about the space program he joined and how he had gotten a spot to intern through high school, and then to actually work on spaceships and with a team in college. He explained that he was here in Alamogordo working at the museum and occasionally out at the missile range in White Sands.

Keith nodded along feeling his eyelids droop. He was warm and comfortable. A satisfied hum thrummed through him from talking to someone about his passion. This was nice. He liked this, he liked Lance. He really liked Lance.

" Hey Keith?" Keith blinked his eyes open and looked around a little groggily. He looked up at Annika who was smiling down at him.

" Your shift is over." Keith sat up noticing the warm weight on him. That warm weight being Lance. Fast asleep drooling a little bit.

" What time is it?" 

" Four." Keith groaned and looked back down at Lance.

" I think I'm just gonna..." Annika pointed to the desk and left the two of them alone.

Keith gently shook Lance awake.

" Hey you need to go to your room my shift is over." Lance groaned and grabbed Keith's shirt as he went to stand up.

" Come with me." Lance said words sticky with sleep. Keith chuckled a bit nervously,

" Buy me dinner first and then we'll talk okay?" Lance pouted.

" Can I?" Lance asked a the little pout still adorning his face.

" Can you what?" Keith asked. Lance set up on his own eyes clearing a but more as he looked into Keith's eyes.

" Can I take you on a date tomorrow?" Keith opened his mouth then closed it unaware of what to say.

" You want to take me on a date?" Lance smiled gently taking his hand.

" Yes Keith, and I know the perfect thing. How does going to see the universe up close and personal sound?" 

Keith smiled and squeezed Lance's hand,

" I think that would be wonderful."


End file.
